Friday, May 10, 2013

Back to Your Roots

Have you ever noticed a young child watching the same movie over and over? Have you ever encountered a student that relishes reading the same book again and again? Why is this? Some may say the repetition brings security and confidence. Others may simply state that the child enjoys it. I believe both of these opinions, and I also believe it is educational. By nature people repeat things over and over to master and improve. A child may watch The Lion King 50 times to relate to the characters, enjoy the movie and feel secure in what is being modeled. This is fairly typical behavior. What boggles my mind is that this is accepted at a young age but then as a child grows older the repetition is repeated less and less.

This scenario happens to fit me as well. I used to repeat things over and over until I felt as though I mastered it. As I got older, time was of the essence and once I got it, I moved on. I believe this happens to most of us. When I was in college I was introduced to Stephen Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. I enjoyed the book and I agreed with most of what was presented. I remember reading some of the habits over and over. In many ways I lived the habits without really knowing it. After reading the book I was more cognizant of some of my choices and decisions.

All of the habits are important, Stephen Covey nailed it! As most things go habits change. Over time, my approach to the 7 Habits morphed, I tried to have all situations be Win-Win, I was losing touch with what Stephen Covey was teaching. In almost every challenge I faced, I tried to have a Win-Win scenario. As you all know this is tough. Not all situations can be Win-Win. I recently got the book back out and re-read Habit Four.

Think Win-Win is an attitude: 1) Have Integrity, be true to your values 2) Have Maturity, express your feelings with courage and consideration for others 3) Have an Abundance Mentality

Stephen Covey doesn't come out and say every situation will have a Win-Win solution. He empowers and educates people with a mindset. I needed to open the book back up and re-teach myself. I believe Stephen Covey sums up Habit Four best by stating:

"To go for win-win, you not only have to be empathic, but you also have to be confident. You not only have to be considerate and sensitive, you also have to be brave. To do that--to achieve that balance between courage and consideration--is the essence of real maturity and is fundamental to win-win."I, like most, benefit from gentle reminders and revisiting past materials. I guess you could say it "jogs" my memory. I focus on this topic for three reasons this week. Reason #1 Have you ever read a book that helped shape you as a person or teacher? I believe I can confidently say most of us have. When was the last time you revisited that book?Reason #2 When you think about resolving an issue, do you display the characteristics of a "Think Win-Win" mentality? It takes courage to follow your values.Reason #3 Have you read Stephen Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People?The 7 Habits helped shape me as a person and as an educator, over time the 7 habits weren't as crystal clear as I needed them to be. I benefited from getting back to my roots. Could you benefit from revisiting a book that shaped you?MOST COMMON BOOKS EDUCATORS READ:

Monday, May 13th: SMILE program will be at Warner
Tuesday, May 14th: Panther Pride Luncheon
Tuesday, May 14th: Happy BDay to Miss Hinkley
Tuesday, May 14th: Western School Board Meeting 6:30pm
Tuesday, May 14th: Final String Team practice
Wednesday, May 15th: Assembly Grades K-2
Wednesday, May 15th: PM Drill
Wednesday, May 15th: String Team Performance at the JSO 6pm
Thursday, May 16th: After School Art Club
Thursday, May 16th 7pm Last PTO meeting of the year

1 comment:

Okay the "It's Okay To..." link is very fun! The close reading one had to be tweeted out it's so good. ALWAYS love TED talks. Even sent one this weekend in an email to our governor and president (yes, Synder and Obama!) Thanks, Ben!